Mosiah 25-28

How should the Church deal with sinners and apostates? Does the Book of Mormon teaching of no paid clergy, apply to current LDS General Authorities? Are there striking parallels between the conversion and ministry of Alma and that of apostle Paul? Does the Book of Mormon offer more options than heaven or hell?

For the sake of time, I will not cite all the parallel phrases and words from the Old and New Testament that is in the Book of Mormon text. While it can be argued that some of the parallels are coincidental, most are so strong that it is impossible to not conclude that their, true source is the King James Version of the Bible. For a complete transcript of this lesson, please click on the link in the description below.

We begin this lesson with Chapter 25, which is a transition between the reuniting of the people of Limhi and the people of Alma with the people in the land of Zarahemla. After nearly three generations of living in separate lands, the Nephites were again one people. Remember that King Mosiah II (the son of King Benjamin and the grandson of King Mosiah I) is the righteous king of the land of Zarahemla. Mormon who is abridging these records and telling this story, is going to give us more information about the original people of Zarahemla, who were descendants of Mulek.

According to the Bible, when Jerusalem was captured about 588 BC, the Babylonian army killed King Zedekiah’s sons before putting out the king’s eyes (see Jeremiah 39:6-7 and 52:1-11). The Book of Mormon informs us that one of Zedekiah’s sons (Mulek) escaped and, he traveled with a group from Jerusalem to the New World. They settled in the land of Zarahemla (see Omni 1:14-15).

Mosiah 25:1King Mosiah gathers all the people together.

Mosiah 25:2There were more of the people of Zarahemla, who were descendants of Mulek, than there were of the children of Nephi. The words “many of the children of” are in Luke 1:16 and, “which came with him” are also in Luke 23:55.

Mosiah 25:3And there were twice as many Lamanites as all the Nephites put together.

Mosiah 25:4So, there were gathered, together two groups – the people of Nephi and the people of Zarahemla. The phrase “were assembled together, and” is also in Acts 4:31.

Mosiah 25:5-6Mosiah read to the people the record of Zeniff (including Noah, and Limhi) and the account of Alma.

Mosiah 25:5The words “they returned again” are also in Acts 14:21.

Mosiah 25:6The words “And his brethren” are the same in Matthew 1:11 and, “all their afflictions” are similar, to Isaiah 63:9.

Mosiah 25:9They were also filled with sadness for their brethren who had been killed by the Lamanites.

Mosiah 25:10 “And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.” The words “give thanks to God” is also in Colossians 1:3.

Mosiah 25:11 “And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.” Remember, God cursed them back in 2 Nephi 5:21-24. The words “filled with pain” is also in Isaiah 21:3.

Mosiah 25:12 “And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites.” The children of the wicked priest Amulon and the other wicked priests renounced the names of their fathers and took upon themselves the name of Nephites. The phrase “had taken to wife” is also in 1 Kings 7:8and, “that they might be called” is the same in Isaiah 61:3.

Mosiah 25:13 “And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi.” Even the people of Zarahemla, who were not descended from Nephi – were now numbered with the Nephites. And many of them wanted to become members of Alma’s church.

Mosiah 25:14After Mosiah was done speaking and reading, he asked Alma to say a thing or two to the people. The words “speak to the people” are also in Luke 20:9.

Remember back in the land of Nephi after Ammon and his companions found Limhi and his people, that they had asked Ammon to baptize them. He declined to do so at the time, considering himself unworthy. And, Mormon told us in Mosiah 21:33-35that he would inform us later about their baptism. Well, he does so now.

Mosiah 25:15-16Alma reminds the people that it was the Lord who delivered them from bondage.

Mosiah 25:15The words “they were assembled together” are in Acts 4:31and, “went from one” are the same in Psalm 105:13.

Mosiah 25:16The phrase “remember that it was the Lord” is similar, to John 21:12.

Mosiah 25:17 “And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them, that King Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also.” The words “speaking to them” are also in Acts 13:43.

Mosiah 25:18 “Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma.”The words “them after the manner” are also in Ezekiel 23:45and, “did his brethren” are in John 7:5and “as many as he” in Luke 11:8.

The word “baptize” is from the Greek term “baptizo.” It was first introduced in the Gospels with John the Baptist. The term “baptize” is not in the Jewish Canon or the Septuagint but it is mentioned 58 times in the Old Testament era of the Book of Mormon.

Mosiah 25:19With this sudden increase in members, Mosiah
turns over the running of the Church to Alma, who becomes the President of the
Church. And, Mosiah continues to remain
King over the government. “And it came to pass that
King Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all
the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over
every church.”

The
terms “priests
and teachers” used here is not referring to the LDS Aaronic Priesthood,
since it had not yet been set up among the Nephites. As we covered back in the lesson on 2 Nephi 1-5, Joseph
Fielding Smith taught that Jacob and Joseph couldn’t hold
the Aaronic priesthood because they weren’t from the tribe of Levi. The problem
with that argument is that no one ever held a Melchizedek priesthood in the Old
or New Testament eras. Only Christ was
called a “priest
for ever after the ORDER of Melchizedek” (see Hebrews 7:17).
You don’t read anywhere in the New Testament where Jesus conferred a priesthood
of any kind on His apostles. He ordained
them – meaning He appointed them and authorized them – but never gave them a
Melchizedek priesthood. Consequently –
Peter, James, and John could not have passed any priesthood on to Joseph Smith
– since they, themselves didn’t have it.
Thus, anyone today claiming to hold either the Aaronic or Melchizedek
priesthood is clearly in the wrong.

Mosiah 25:20 “Now this was done because there were so many people that they
could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word
of God in one assembly;” The
words “God is one” are the same in Ephesians 2:16.

Mosiah 25:21 “Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different
bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their
teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to
him by the mouth of Alma.” This
sounds somewhat like the organization of the Mormon Church today. Where the saints are divided into branches
and districts, and wards and stakes, with bishops and stake presidents
presiding over each. And with those
leaders looking to their Prophet for direction on what they should teach their,
congregations. The words “and
every priest” are also in Hebrews 10:11.

Mosiah 25:22They were all one church – the church of
God. And they only taught faith and
repentance. The words “they
were all one” are also in 1 Corinthians 12:19“preached
in all the churches” are
similar, to Acts 8:40.

Mosiah 25:23There were seven churches in the land of
Zarahemla. Reminiscent of the seven
churches mentioned in John’s Revelation in the New Testament. In the 1830 edition page 209, it read “there was seven
Churches”. It now reads “there were seven
Churches”. The words “now there were seven” are also in Mark 12:20and “seven churches in the land” are similar, to Revelation 1:4 and, “the name of Christ” are in 2 Timothy 2:19.

Mosiah 25:26“And they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon
them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land.”

Mosiah 26:1-2Just as things were starting to go really
well for the new church, it is threatened by the “rising generation” who
did not believe the traditions of their fathers or in God. Sounds like the Millennials and Gen Z’s of
our modern day.

Mosiah 26:1In the 1830 edition page 209, it read “there was many of
the rising generation”. It
now reads, “there
were many of the rising generation”.

Mosiah 26:2The
phrase “concerning the resurrection of the
dead” is similar, to Acts 24:21.

Mosiah 26:3 “And now because of their unbelief they could not understand
the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.” The phrase “because of their unbelief” is also in Matthew 13:58.

Mosiah 26:4 “And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the
church. And they were a separate people
as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful
state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.” They were turned off from religious
institutions and their dogmatic policies and authoritarian restrictions and
works-based requirements, much like today.
The words “they should not be baptized” are similar, to Acts 10:47“call
upon the Lord” are
also in Psalm 18:3.

Mosiah 26:5-6And although they were in the minority of the
Nephites, they were becoming more numerous all the time. Because of their influence, many church
members were led away to commit sin. So,
the church felt it needed to do something about them.

Mosiah 26:5The
words “the brethren they” are also in Acts 16:40.

Mosiah 26:6In the 1830 edition page 209, it read “those who committed sin
that was in the church”.
It now reads “that were in the church”. The phrase “flattering words” is in 1 Thessalonians 2:5and, “were in the church” is the same in Acts 13:1.

Mosiah 26:7These serious transgressors were gathered up
by the local church authorities and brought before Alma, who was the high
priest. Again, we have to question the “high priest” designation. The words “before the priests” are also in Deuteronomy 19:17 and, “who was the high priest” are similar, to John 18:13.

Mosiah 27:8The
words “authority over the” are also in 1 Timothy 2:12.

Mosiah 26:9-10Because nothing like this had happened before
in the church, Alma didn’t know how to handle the situation. So, he brought them to King Mosiah.

Mosiah 26:10The
phrase “was troubled in his spirit” is similar, to John 13:21“be
brought before the” is also
in Exodus 29:10.

Mosiah 26:11 “And he said unto the king; Behold, here are many whom we
accused of their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers
iniquities. And they do not repent of their
iniquities; therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou mayest judge
them according to their crimes.” Because
Mosiah was the Ruler over the government, Alma referred to these transgressors
as criminals – hoping that their “crimes” would fall under the King’s
jurisdiction. The words “that
thou mayest judge” is
also in 2Chronicles 1:11.

Mosiah 26:12 “But King Mosiah said unto Alma: Behold I judge them not;
therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged.” Mosiah
reminds Alma that this is a religious matter, not a civil matter. It seems Alma as high priest, has yet to
learn how to act in his calling. The words “Behold, I judge” are also in Ezekiel 34:17and, “I deliver them into thy hands” are similar, to Joshua 24:11.

Mosiah 26:13As a last resort, Alma now turns to the Lord
for guidance. “And
now the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord
what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong
in the sight of God.” Alma was concerned that he might mis-handle
the situation. The words “now
the spirit” are also in 1 Timothy 4:1“this
matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God” is similar, to Acts 8:21.

Mosiah 26:14 “And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole
soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying:” And
God had a lot to say to Alma about how “blessed” he is for many reasons. The phrase “he had poured out his
whole soul” is similar, to Isaiah 53:12“the
voice of the Lord came to him” is
similar, to Acts 7:31.

Mosiah 26:15-16The Lord called Alma “blessed” for believing
the words of Abinadi and being baptized in the waters of Mormon with those who
believed on his teachings.

Mosiah 26:17And
Alma is blessed because he established a church. The words “shall be established” are also in Zechariah 5:11.

Mosiah 26:18And blessed are the members who are called
the Lord’s. The words “in
my name shall they be called” are
similar, to Mark 16:17.

Mosiah 26:19Another reason Alma is blessed is because he
asked God what to do with these transgressors.
The phrase “hast inquired of” is also in 1 Samuel 22:13.

Mosiah 26:20From this verse, we learn that Alma’s calling
and election is made sure. In other
words, according to Mormonism, the Lord assures Alma at this point that he will
be exalted in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom and will become a
god. In Mormonism, the term “eternal life” means
exaltation. “Thou
art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and
thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name and shalt gather together my sheep.” Of course, Alma will have to
go to the temple where he will take out his endowments and be sealed to a
righteous woman before he can obtain that “eternal life.”
Unfortunately, the Nephite temples did not perform any of
those ordinances or ceremonies. Atleast
they are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon, nor the Bible for that
matter. So, maybe that work will need to
be done for him after he is dead. But, that
doctrine or “precept” is
not taught in the Book of Mormon. The phrase “that ye have eternal life” is also in 1 John 5:13“and
shalt gather together” is
similar, to Mark 13:27.

In the language of Mormonism – “Eternal Life” is
distinct from immortality. It doesn’t
describe living eternally with God – but living eternally AS God. Thus, it is another name for godhood and
synonymous with exaltation. And
exaltation, is to inherit a place in the highest degree of the celestial
kingdom(see
Doctrineand Covenants 131:1-4).
It can only be achieved through obedience to the laws and
ordinances of the Gospel. On the other
hand, Biblical Christianity teaches that eternal life is living WITH God. It is His gift and is received the moment a
person is brought to faith in Christ (Romans6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 5:24).

In2 Nephi 31:4-20, we learned that, in the
LDS context, the grace Jesus gives does not elevate a person to a new
relationship with God – it merely provides a staircase or ladder to allow
humans the opportunity to climb their way to the top by their obedience to laws
and ordinances, and by keeping commandments of the Mormon gospel.Doctrine and Covenants 14:7 says,
after keeping the commandments and enduring to the end – THEN, you will have
eternal life.

Mosiah 26:21 “And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him
shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive.” The words “him will I also” are in Matthew 10:33.

Mosiah 26:22 “For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be
baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever
ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive.” The phrase “shall be baptized” is inActs
1:5and, “shall believe in my name” is similar, to Mark 16:17.

Mosiah 26:23The Lord tells Alma that He has taken on the
sins of the world. Well, not yet. But he
will! The words “the sins of
the world” are similar, to John 1:29 and, “unto him that believeth” are similar, to Mark 9:23.

Mosiah 26:24 “For behold, in my name are they called; if they know me they
shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand.” The words “shall have a place” are also in Proverbs 14:26.

Mosiah 26:25 “And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall
sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me.” This is the resurrection of
those who did not accept Christ. They
will be judged. The phrase “And
it shall come to pass that when the” is also in Genesis 24:43and, “shall stand before me” is in Ezekiel 44:15.

Mosiah 26:26 “And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I
am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed.” They didn’t want to be redeemed. The phrase “then shall they know
that I am the Lord their God, that I am” is taken from Ezekiel 39:28.

Mosiah 26:27 “And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and
they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” This verse is taken from Matthew 7:23andMatthew 25:41.Remember – In the Introduction
Page of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith said “I told the brethren that
the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone
of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts,
than by any other book.” Evidently,
one of the precepts that was never taught in the Book of Mormon was the three
degrees of glory and outer darkness.
Rather, the main considerations are simply heaven or hell as taught in
this chapter ofMosiah.
The Book of Mormon in several places teaches that there are only two
options for man’s future: heaven or hell (2 Nephi 28:22; 1 Nephi 15:35; Mosiah 16:11, 27-31;
Alma 41:4-8; Alma 42:16)yet the Doctrine andCovenantspromises
some level of heaven to practically everyone, (see D&C 76).

Mosiah 26:28The Lord now gives specific instructions to
Alma as to how to deal with sinners and apostates in the Church. If people do not want to hear God’s voice,
they are not welcome in His church.

Mosiah 26:29 “Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth
against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed;
and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity
of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.” This is similar, to the same
procedure LDS Bishops and Stake Presidents operate under today. The words “whosoever transgresseth” are also in 2 John 1:9“will
forgive him” are similar, to Luke 17:4.

Mosiah 26:30 “Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them
their trespasses against me.”

Mosiah 26:31God
tells Alma’s people to forgive one another.
The words “forgive one another your trespasses” are similar, to Matthew 6:14.

Mosiah 26:32Whoever
does not repent will not be numbered among God’s people. In other words, Alma will have to hold a
disciplinary court and excommunicate them meaning, cut them off or blot their
names out.

Mosiah 26:36Those
who would not repent – their names were removed from the records of the
Church. This is how religious institutions
enforce compliance to policies, procedures, laws and commandments. The words “were not numbered among the people” are
similar, to Numbers 2:33.

Mosiah 26:37 “And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of
the church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in
the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many,
and baptizing many.”The phrase “walking circumspectly” is
similar, to Ephesians5:15. Once
all the sinners are purged from the church, it is utopia!

Mosiah 26:38 They suffered persecution from
non-believers and apostates, which has always been a Mormon complaint. Right? The phrase “walking in all” is in Luke 1:6and, “teaching the word of God” is in Acts 18:11 and, “being
persecuted” is in 1 Corinthians 4:12.

Mosiah 26:39 “And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also
admonished, every one by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins
which he had committed, being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to
give thanks in all things.” The words “by the word of God” are also in Romans 10:17and, “God, according to his” are the same in Acts 13:23and, “pray without ceasing” are in 1
Thessalonians 5:17.

Mosiah 27We now come
to one of the most popular chapters in the Book of Mormon. In contains the account of the conversion of
Alma the Younger and the four sons of Mosiah, who were very wicked men.

Mosiah 27:1The
unbelievers were persecuting the believers, so they complained to Alma Sr. Alma asked the King what to do about it, and
Mosiah asked his priests. The words “which were inflicted” are similar, to 2 Corinthians 2:6 and, “by the
unbelievers” are similar, to Luke 12:46.

Mosiah 27:2Mosiah
sent out a proclamation to his people that unbelievers shouldn’t persecute
believers. The phrase “sent a proclamation
throughout the land” is similar, to 1 Kings
22:36.

Mosiah 27:3There
was also a strict command throughout the churches that there should be no
persecution among themselves. There
should be equality among all men. The phrase “throughout all the churches” is also in 2 Corinthians 8:18and,
“that there should be an equality” is similar,
to 2 Corinthians 8:14.

Mosiah 27:5 “Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with
their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in
much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God.” The phrase “labor with their own hands” is similar to 1 Corinthians 4:12and “in the
grace of God” is also in Acts 13:43.In other words – no paid clergy among
the Nephites. The LDS Church has always
taught that it had a lay ministry. They
criticized other religious denominations for having paid clergies. However, it was recently revealed that the Quorum
of the 12 Apostles and that of the First Presidency in the LDS Church receive a
six-figure annual salary along with other monetary benefits (see The Salt
Lake Tribune January 26, 2017 by Peggy Fletcher Stack “How
much do top Mormon leaders make? Leaked
pay stubs may surprise you”). So it’s not consistent with the teaching
and “precepts” of
the Book of Mormon.

Mosiah 27:6There
began to be peace throughout the land.
The population grew and spread out into large cities and villages. Wish there were archaeological ruins to
substantiate that claim. The words “abroad upon the face of the earth” are similar, to Genesis 11:4and, “cities and villages” are also in Matthew 9:35.

Mosiah 27:7 “And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became
a large and wealthy people.” Just like the modern LDS Church. (see
The Wall Street Journal article Feb. 8, 2020 “The
Mormon Church Amassed $100 Billion. It
Was the Best-Kept Secret in the Investment World”
Links are in the description below)

Mosiah 27:8 “Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers;
and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma,
after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous
man. And he was a man of many words, and
did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to
do after the manner of his iniquities.” Alma
was both a smooth talker and a bad influence on people.

Mosiah 27:9 “And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church
of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among
the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over
them.” Sounds like many
church members admired Alma Jr. and followed him. The words “the enemy of God” are also in James 4:4.

Mosiah 27:10We are about to read of a conversion account
reminiscent of Saul of Tarsus in the New Testament. “And now it came to pass
that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about
secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead
astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the
king –” This verse is similar, to Acts 26:11.

Mosiah 27:11 “And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling
against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended
as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which
caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;” The phrase “as I said unto you” is also in John 10:26and, “behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared unto” is the same in Matthew 1:20and, “with a voice of thunder” is similar, to Job 40:9.

Mosiah 27:12 “And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the
earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.” The words “fell to the earth” are also in Acts 9:4and, “and
understood not the words which he spake unto them” are similar, to Luke 2:50.

Mosiah 27:13 “Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand
forth, for why persecutes thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church,
and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression
of my people.” This
sounds very similar to what the Savior said to Saul (or Paul) on the road to
Damascus. The phrase “why
persecutes thou” is
also in Acts 22:7and, “will establish it” is also in Psalm 48:8and, “the transgression of my people” is the same in Isaiah 53:8.

I believe the author of the Book of Mormon found the
experiences and teachings of Apostle Paul most helpful. Even though Paul was not yet born when the
Nephite Record was allegedly written, the conversion and ministry of Paul is
duplicated almost exactly in the ministry of Alma the Younger. Even in manner of speech and travels.

The following is a list of parallels between
Paul and Alma – with a couple exceptions:

(Do not quote the verses in this list)

Both Alma and Paul came from legalistic religious backgrounds.

Both were very wicked men before their conversion (Mosiah 27:8 and 1 Timothy
1:12-13).

Both were a threat to the Church (Mosiah 27:9 and Acts 9:1).

Both traveled about trying to destroy the Church of God (Alma 36:6 and 1
Corinthians 15:9).

Both were vigorous in their persecution of the church (Alma 36:14 and Acts 22:4).

Both were out on one of their missions to persecute the
Church on the day of their conversion (Mosiah27:10-11 and Acts 26:11-13).

Both Alma and his companions and Paul and his companions
were stopped by a heavenly vision (Mosiah 27:11 and Acts 9:3).

In both cases the people who were present fell to the
earth (Mosiah
27:12 and Acts 26:14).

The companions of both Alma and Paul were unable to
understand the voice that spoke (Mosiah 27:12 andActs 22:9).

In the vision which followed, both Alma and Paul were
asked why they fought against the work of the Lord (Mosiah 27:13 and Acts 9:4,8).

There certainly is a difference between the angel that
Alma sees and, the resurrected Christ who Paul sees.

Both became physically helpless after their vision and
had to receive help from their friends (Mosiah27:19 and Acts 9:9).

Both went without food for a period of, time (Mosiah 27:23 and Acts 9:9).

Both Alma and Paul were converted to the Lord (Mosiah 27:23 and Acts
9-18-19).

However, the kind of conversion is different in both
stories: Alma had to change his,
behavior but Paul had to change his beliefs.

They are converted for different reasons: Alma because of the prayers of his father (Mosiah 27:14). Paul because the Lord needs him for a very
specific purpose (Acts 9:15).

After their conversion both traveled about preaching the
word of God (Mosiah 27:32 and Acts 9:20).

Both Alma and Paul labored with their own hands for their
support (Alma
30:32 and 1 Corinthians 4:12).

Both Alma and Paul performed a similar miracle (Alma 16:11 and Acts 14:10).

Both were put in prison (Alma 14:22 and Acts 16:23).

In both cases they prayed to the Lord (Alma 14:26 and Acts 16:25).

In both cases there was a great earthquake (Alma 14:27 and Acts 16:26).

In both cases the prisoner’s bands were loosed (Alma 14:28 and Acts 16:26).

Mosiah 27:14-15Alma Sr., King Mosiah, and others had prayed
countless times for these young men.
That’s why the Lord sent an angel to get their attention and bring them
to the knowledge of the truth.

Mosiah 27:14 The
phrase “be brought to the knowledge of the
truth” is similar, to 2 Timothy 3:7and “the power
and authority of” is
the same in Luke 20:20.

Mosiah 27:15The
words “can ye not” are also in Matthew 16:3“sent
from God” are in Luke 1:26.

Mosiah 27:16-17The angel
tells Alma the Younger to not seek to destroy the church anymore. And then the angel departed.

Mosiah 27:16The words “the
captivity of thy” are in Ezekiel 16:53and, “fathers in the land of”
are in Psalm 78:12 and, “how great things he has done for” are similar, to 1 Samuel 12:24.

Mosiah 27:17The words “these
were the last words” are similar, to 2 Samuel
23:1.

Mosiah 27:18-19Alma the
Younger and Mosiah’s sons again, fell to the ground because they were so
astonished at what had just happened to them.
In fact, Alma was so shocked that he became dumb (unable to speak). He was so weak that he had to be carried and
laid before his father.

Mosiah 27:18The phrase “an
angel of the Lord; and” is also in Judges
6:11and “shook
the earth” is also in Hebrews 12:26.

Mosiah 27:19This verse is similar, to Acts 9:8.

Mosiah 27:20Alma’s
companions rehearsed to Alma Sr. everything that happened, which made Alma Sr.
rejoice. The phrase “all that had happened
unto them” is similar, to Esther 4:7.

Mosiah 27:21 “And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together
that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those
that were with him.” The words “for those that were with him” are similar, to Matthew 12:4.

Mosiah 27:22Then he
made his priests fast and pray to God to restore his son back to his full
strength. The words “open the mouth of” are
also in Joshua 10:2and, “see and know of” are
in Luke 21:30and,
“and glory of God” are the same in 1 Corinthians 11:7.

Mosiah 27:23 “And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the
space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength,
and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good
comfort.” The phrase “after they
had fasted and prayed” is
similar, to Acts 13:3and “stood up and began to speak” is similar, to Luke 7:15and, “be of good
comfort” is also in Philippians 2:19.

Mosiah 27:24 “For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been
redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.” Alma the Younger is a new person! He has been born again! The words “am born of the Spirit” are
similar, to John 3:8.

Mosiah 27:25God had
been speaking to Alma the Younger the whole time while he was paralyzed. “And the Lord said
unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations,
kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed
from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed
of God, becoming his sons and daughters;”
The phrase “Marvel not that” and “must be born again” is
inJohn
3:7.

Mosiah 27:26 “And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this,
they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.”
The words “they become new creatures” are similar, to 2 Corinthians 5:17“can
in nowise inherit” aresimilar,
to Luke 18:17and, “inherit the kingdom of God” are also in 1 Corinthians 6:9.

Mosiah 27:27 “I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast
off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.” To be cast off is to not
make it to the celestial kingdom. Alma
was just about to miss exaltation.

Mosiah 27:28We now
find out why Alma was able to repent completely in such a short time. “Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation,
repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of
an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.”
Alma was repenting
so hard that it nearly killed him.
Interesting that he mentions “everlasting
burning”. The phrase “through much tribulation” is also in Acts 14:22and,
“night
unto death, the Lord in mercy” is similar, to Philippians 2:27.

Mosiah 27:29Alma the Younger will now contrast his prior spiritual
darkness with the intense spiritual light which is now filling his whole soul. “My soul hath been redeemed
from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold
the marvelous light of God. My soul was
racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.” He was “snatched” from
the jaws of hell. The term “racked” was changed in the 1964 edition from
“wrecked” in the 1830 edition page 214. The phrase “the gall of bitterness and bonds of
iniquity” is similar to Acts 8:23and, “marvelous light”
is also in 1 Peter 2:9.

Mosiah 27:30 I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken
of by our fathers; but now that they may forsee that he will come, and that he
remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto
all.” The words “every
creature of” are in 1 Timothy 4:4and, “manifestunto all” are also in 2 Timothy
3:9.Back
in Jacob
chapter 7we
read about Sherem who acted very similar to Alma the Younger. In Sherem’s case, he was killed by God, but
in the case of Alma the younger God saved him.
Does not seem quite fair.

Not all readers of the Book of Mormon are aware that the
Book of Mormon contains three accounts of the conversion of Alma the
Younger. The account in Mosiah 27:8-37gives
a contemporary record of how Alma harassed the church and of his extraordinary
conversion. 27 years later, Alma twice
recounts his conversion story as he blesses his son Helaman recorded in Alma 36:4-26, and
his second son Shiblon recorded in Alma 38:4-8.

There have been attempts by the LDS to compare Alma’s
three accounts with the nine accounts of Joseph Smith (see Gospel Topics
Essays: First Vision Accounts) and (see T2M Episode 3 First Vision Links
are in the description). The LDS
Church’s approach to deflecting criticisms of Joseph Smith’s nine first vision
accounts, are to show that similar issues pertain to Paul’s vision. However, the comparative argument fails. They also, attempt to argue that the
discrepancies in Paul’s vision accounts justify the discrepancies in Joseph
Smith’s first vision accounts. But that
doesn’t work because the discrepancy in Acts is a very minor,
inconsequential difference that has nothing to do with the credibility of Paul’s
vision having seen the risen Christ. The
difference does not come close to being as significant as whether Joseph Smith
saw God the Father. Plus, the
discrepancies in Joseph’s multiple accounts of the First Vision are significant
because the accounts were given at various times over a period of several years
and paralleled his evolving theology during those years from monotheism to
polytheism. Nothing like that is going
on with the accounts of Paul in Acts. Or, in Mosiah and Alma for
that matter. (see Come Follow Me podcast – Acts 22-28).

Mosiah 27:31 “Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before
him. Yea, even at the last day, when all
men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God;
then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgement
of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and
tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye.” Thephrase “every knee shall bow, and every
tongue confess before him” is
similar, to Romans 14:11and, “that he is God” is also in 2 Thessalonians 2:4and, “without God in the world” is the same in Ephesians 2:12and, “everlasting
punishment” is in Matthew 25:46.

The “all searching eye” or “all seeing eye” of
God is represented in the architecture of the Nauvoo Temple and the Salt Lake
Temple. History of the Church, byJoseph Smith, vol. 4, p. 550-551
records JosephSmith’s induction into the Masonic lodge in 1842 “I received the first
degree in Free Masonry in the Nauvoo Lodge, assembled in my general business office.” The next day Smith recorded in History
of the Church, vol. 4. p. 552:“Wednesday, March 16th. – I was with the Masonic
Lodge and rose to the sublime degree.”

Mormon involvement in Freemasonry grew rapidly. In the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 2,
p. 527 it reads, “The introduction of
Freemasonry in Nauvoo had both political and religious implications… Eventually
nearly 1,500 LDS men became associated with Illinois Freemasonry, including many
members of the Church’s governing priesthood bodies – this at a time when the
total number of non-LDS Masons in Illinois lodges barely reached 150.”

The Mormon endowment ceremony introduced by Joseph Smith
was inspired by the Masonic lodge ceremonies.
It was also obvious that the Nauvoo Temple architecture – and later the
Salt Lake Temple – was influenced by Masonry with the use of Masonic symbols
and shapes. Along with sunstones, moon
and star stones, cloud stones, aprons, beehives, compass, square, hand grip –
was the all-seeing eye. Other Book of
Mormon references of the “all searching eye” include: 2 Nephi 9:44 “beneath the glance of his
all-searching eye” and, Jacob 2:10 “under the glance of the piercing eye
of the Almighty God” and, Mosiah 27:31 “the glance of his all-searching eye”.

Mosiah 27:32-33Following
this miraculous conversion story, Alma and the four sons of Mosiah traveled
around the country sharing with people what they had heard and seen. As they preached the word of God, they were severely
persecuted. But they continued to tell
members of the Church to keep the commandments.

Mosiah 27:34 “And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names
were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons
of Mosiah.”

Mosiah 27:35 “And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and
among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously
striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church,
confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen,
and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.”The words “things which they had seen” are also in Luke 9:36“desire
to hear” are in Acts 13:7. Latter-day Saints
believe that this principle of restitution is an important component of true
repentance. It means doing everything
within your own power to right the wrongs which you have caused.

Mosiah 27:36 “And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in
bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their
Redeemer.” The phrase “to the knowledge of the truth” is also in 2 Timothy 3:7.

Mosiah 27:37 “And how blessed are they!
For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and
they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.” The phrase “good tidings of good” isalso in Isaiah 52:7“that
the Lord reigneth” is in Psalm 96:10.

Mosiah 28:1Mormon continues telling us that after
Mosiah’s sons were done preaching to everyone in Zarahemla, they wanted a
bigger challenge. They decided to ask
the king if they could go to the land of Nephi and preach to the
Lamanites. The words “and desired
of him” are also in Acts 9:2.

Mosiah 28:2Mosiah’s sons had good intentions. They wanted to improve relations with the
Lamanites by sharing the knowledge of the Lord. The words “that there
should be no more contentions”
are similar, to 1 Corinthians 12:25. We are not told here how the people of
Zarahemla reacted to this idea of Mosiah’s sons going on a mission to the
Lamanites, but in Alma 26:23-26we discover that the popular reaction was not
favorable. It says, “they laughed us to scorn.”

Mosiah 28:3They wanted everyone to be saved from the
endless torment of hell. The words “to every creature” are also in Colossians 1:23.

Mosiah 28:4They knew what they were talking about since
they had once been the vilest of sinners themselves. The words “because of their iniquities”
are also in Psalm 107:17.

Mosiah 28:5 “And it came to pass that they did plead with their father
many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi.” You can imagine the fears their
father had about letting them go into such a dangerous environment.

Mosiah 28:6 “And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should
let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.” The phrase “to preach the word” is also in Acts 16:6.

Mosiah 28:7 “And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall
believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver
thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.”
That sounds like good news and some concerning news. We will learn in chapters 17 through 26 of
Alma, that they suffered much in order to fulfill their
mission to the Lamanites. But they did
return to their father when their missions were completed. The words “have eternal life; and I
will” are similar, to John 6:54.

Mosiah 28:8 “And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go
and do according to their request.”

Mosiah 28:9Mormon then states, “And they took their
journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and
I shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter.” Again,
this account is recorded in Alma chapters 17-26. The phrase “And they took their
journey into the wilderness” is
similar, to Numbers 33:12.

Mosiah 28:10As
Mosiah is approaching the end of his life and he begins his farewell by making,
preparations. “Now King Mosiah had no one to confer the
kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons who would accept of the
kingdom.”

Mosiah 28:11Now, with his sons gone he has, to decide
what to do with the sacred records, sword of Laban, and other artifacts
entrusted to his care by his father, King Benjamin. “Therefore he took the records which were engraven
on the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which
he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having
translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of
gold, which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by
the hand of Limhi;” These
plates of gold were the 24 plates which contained the history of the Jaradites recorded
in Ether. The words “to him by the hand” are also in Numbers 16:40. In this verse and no less than five more times in the 1830
edition is the abbreviation “&c” meaning “and
so forth”,
used. It is hardly believable that such
a symbol as “&c” was
a translation from ancient writings.
This kind of mistake is clear evidence of a recent origin of the book.

Mosiah 28:12Mosiah’s people really wanted to know what
had happened to their ancestors, and since his sons were gone for a while, who
knows if he might be the last true seer in a while.

Mosiah 28:13 “And now he translated them by the means of those two stones
which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.” Referring to the Urim and
Thummin. The words “by the
means of those” are in
Revelation 13:14“which
were fastened” are in
2 Chronicles 12:2and, “of a bow” are in 1 Chronicles12:2.

In the front of the Book of Mormon we find The
Testimony of Joseph Smith which says, “Also, that there were two stones in silver bows,
and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the
Urim and Thummin – deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of
these stones were what constituted ‘seers’ in ancient or former times; and that
God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” In the (Gospel Topics Essay:The
Book of Mormon Translation) the church establishes as fact, that Joseph
used a seer stone to translate the Book of Mormon. Joseph found this stone in the ground years
before he retrieved the gold plates and Urim and Thummin. He had used this specific stone to search for
treasure. As a matter of fact, he only
used the Urim and Thummin to translate the first 116 pages called the book of Lehi. Makes you wonder why the need for the gold
plates and the Urim and Thummin, when Smith ended up using his treasure seeking
peep stone in a hat, instead. Pictures
were used by the LDS Church on their official website and in various
publications for decades, which misled members into concluding that Joseph
translated the Book of Mormon while actually looking at the characters engraved
upon the gold plates. Only recently is
the Church depicting Joseph’s face in the hat in their pictures of the translation
process.

For a detailed description of how that worked, we have David
Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses in An Address to All Believers in
Christ, 1887, p.12 who describes the meticulous method by which the gold
plates were translated: “I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book
of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith
would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it
closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual
light would shine. A piece of something
resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and
under it was the interpretation in English.”

Mosiah 28:14 “Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were
handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting
languages;”

Mosiah 28:15 “And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the
Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the
iniquities and abominations of his people;”
The phrase “to every creature” is also in Colossians 1:23.

Mosiah 28:16 “And whosoever has these things is called a seer, after the
manner of old times.” I guess, a seer is someone who can translate
things by looking at peep stones in the bottom of a hat, just like in old
times.

Mosiah 28:17So what did Mosiah learn from these long,
lost plates? Just about everything. They told the history of the Jaradites right
back to the tower of Babel and even to the creation of Adam. It doesn’t get much better than that. The words “were scattered abroad upon
the” are also in Acts 11:19“abroad
upon the face of all the earth” are in Genesis 11:9.

Mosiah 28:18Mosiah’s people, as usual, were both happy
and sad to hear the Jaradite story.

Mosiah 28:19The
phrase “the things which are written in this
account” is similar, to Revelation 22:19.

Mosiah 28:20 “And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done
these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had
kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the
records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded
him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the
people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been
handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.” So,
now Alma the Younger becomes the custodian of all these sacred items.

This
concludes our study for today. Please
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